Spring Cleaning in Wonderland
by Takato.Hiroshima-1993
Summary: The mayor of Cascade, Sandra Yields, has several political figures coming into town, and the crime rate of her city keeps rising! What is the mayor supposed to do with a lazy Major Crimes? She'll kidnap Blair Sandburg with some unexpected help of course.
1. Chapter 1: A Plan is Hatched

**Spring Cleaning in Wonderland**

**Chapter One**

**A Plan is Hatched**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sentinel, or the characters. I do own the mayor and her secretary though. This disclaimer is to be used throughout this story. See end of story for author's note.**

In the middle of Cascade's business district sat City Hall, a large white marble structure. Within City Hall seated in a brown leather swivel chair was an aging woman with her red hair pinned back in a bun. Looking out through a picture window, she gazed at the manicured lawns as she cradled a phone against her face.

"Yes sir Governor Santo, I promise that Cascade will be completely ready for the senators' convention next week." Mayor Sandra Yields reassured her acquaintance as they gave their final good-byes. Sighing as she turned to face her oak desk, Sandra hung up.

"Is everything alright, Ms. Yields?" David Joseph, personal secretary to the mayor, asked as she came closer towards his employer.

"I don't really know David." Sandra leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "The crime rate of this city has gone up for some reason, and here I am lying to the governor saying that the senators will be perfectly safe."

"I'm very sorry to hear that ma'am." David gave a sympathetic look before he pulled out a black, hardcover notebook. Opening the book, he continued. "I thought you might be interested in the latest report from Captain Simon Banks."

"I'll listen to anything you have to say, just as long as you change the subject." Sandra accompanied this statement with an offhand wave.

"Alright then, according to Captain Banks' report, his department, Major Crimes, has apprehended two of the FBI's most wanted and nine major crime suspects."

Sandra suddenly opened her eyes and looked at David in shock. "Really, well no wonder Ryan wants to join the police force so bad." Sitting up, Sandra smiled as she gazed at a framed picture sitting on the corner of her desk. "So, are you going to tell me why the department was so efficient today?"

"According to my contacts within the station, it seems that Blair Sandburg was two hours late." David allowed a small smile to play across his features.

"What! A simple police observer is two hours late and one of the laziest departments in the police force apprehends eleven criminals!" Sandra's cry echoed off the spacious office walls.

"Yes, it seems that Mr. Sandburg has a nasty habit of getting himself kidnapped." Referring to his notebook, the secretary continued. "His record right now is ten times in the last three years."

"So, what you're saying is that because of his track record, every time Blair Sandburg goes missing, the Major Crimes Division get off their butts and scours the city for him?" David nodded and Sandra adopted a thoughtful expression as she leaned back in her chair.

"David, I do believe we now have a solution to our problem." Without waiting for a reply, Sandra picked her phone and dialed.

* * *

Meanwhile, half a block from City Hall a defendant was pleading his case in the Bullpen.

"Sorry guys, my car got a flat tire on the way here, and my cell phone decided to die right then and there." Blair Sandburg explained as he stood in front of the judge and jury.

"So let me get this straight, your tire blew out, your cell phone died, and you couldn't flag anyone down so you could call us?" Simon Banks questioned as he raised his voice just a tad.

"Well, yeah. I was going down this new I'd found and not many people use that particular road." Blair could just see Jim's jaw tighten at his explanation.

"And you were going down this new road why?" Jim's face betrayed no emotion, but his voice was laced with annoyance and anger.

"Because it was a new road and I wanted to know where it went." Blair saw many of the major crimes detectives hang their heads at the childish reason.

"Whatever Chief, you can make it up to all of us by finishing up the paperwork on the eleven criminals we cause caught while looking for you." Jim gestured at the stacks of manila folders on his deck.

Blair paled at the sight of his sentence. "Wow, um……you know I would really love to get started on those reports, but I have a lecture tonight at the university. It's on ancient Mayan cultures and how they come into play during modern times, and it starts in twenty minutes. I just dropped by to tell you why I didn't come into today. So…yeah....uh....bye!" Blair turned and made his way out the door as quickly as he could without running.

"Should we call the university?" Simon asked Jim as he thought of Blair's habit of feigning university work to get out of police work.

"Nah, he's been working on this lecture for two weeks now." Jim turned to sit down but stopped suddenly. "Perhaps we should put a tail on him though." Jim suggested remembering Blair's other habit of changing the date on his university work to suit his needs.

"Don't worry, it's already done." Simon pointed behind him at Rafe who was making his way towards the elevators. "As extra caution I'm also putting out an APB on the kid's car so we can track his movements."

"Can you do that?" Jim asked as he started sorting through the folders Blair had left behind.

"I don't care if I'm allowed to or not, I'm not going to let that little sneak get the best of me this time." With that Simon stalked towards his office leaving a very amused detective in his wake.

"Geez chief, you bring out the Mother Hen in all of us." Jim said to himself as he got to work.

**Author's Note: Finally, the revised chapter one is finished! Reviews are appreciated. Don't forget to look at my other story, New School Meets Old School! It's a cross fic of Sentinel and Team Knight Rider, Blair and Trek get in trouble, and you find out many interesting details about our favorite police observer. **


	2. Chapter 2: Trouble at Rainier

**Spring-Cleaning**

**Chapter Two**

**Trouble at Rainier**

_Simon: You know, I really don't appreciate my department being called the laziest department in the force. (Glares at writer.)_

_Teen13: Sorry Captain Banks, but I need a reason why your team was so suddenly so efficient. (Starts backing into a corner.)_

_Simon: Couldn't you have said that we hadn't been as sharp lately? You just had to say we were downright lazy. _

_Teen13: Once again I'm sorry Simon. Why don't you go sit down and grab a cup of coffee and a donut? (Blair and Jim suddenly appear beside Teen13)_

_Blair: You'd better start running._

_Teen13: Why?_

_Jim: Simon started a diet last week, and so far it is going so good. _

_Teen13: I'm sorry Simon! I didn't mean anything by it, and I don't think you need to go on a diet. You're just a little chubby, not enough to worry about. (Simon's face turns bright red._

_Blair: Man, why don't you just shut up and run already. (Teen13 nods and runs down the fire escape._

_Jim (Sighs): Have fun reading Chapter Two._

_

* * *

_Blair walks out of the large, brick building and into a parking lot labelled "E". There are few cars currently occupying the lot seeing as how the sun had left three hours ago.

"I didn't know I could write that long of a lecture." Blair thought to himself. "Good thing I actually did have a lecture tonight though. I could've sworn I saw Rafe sitting near the back of the room." Blair grinned at the thought of his friends' over-protectiveness.

When Blair reached his car he saw two guys quickly making their way towards him. One of the guys had a mess of blond hair, while the other wore his dark hair close cut. They had on blue jeans and Rainier T-shirts, their black backpacks slung over their shoulders.

"Professor Blair!" The black haired guy called as soon as he was in calling distance. "Awesome lecture, though you could have cut it a little shorter."

"Are you guy's students here?" Blair asked, ignoring the comment.

"Yes sir, we just transferred in a couple of days ago." The black haired guy explained as he turned to look at Blair's car. "Is that a Volvo?"

"Sure is," Blair replied a little smugly, as he stepped aside to let the young man take a closer look at his car.

"Awesome!" The man rubbed his hand over the hood. "My dad used to have one when I was real little. Lots of good memories associated with this."

Blair turned around to face the man. "Really? I just love this car. Maintenance on it sucks, but I love it."

The guy looked at Blair with a smirk before saying, "I really did like your lecture Professor Blair, forgive me."

"What do you-" Blair suddenly felt a rag being smashed against his face. _'Damn, chloroform' _was Blair's last thoughts as he sank into unconsciousness.

**

* * *

**"Who are they?" Rafe wondered as he watched two men approach Blair. Rafe vaguely recognized one of them from the lecture. He become even more interested when he saw one of them duck behind a nearby car then proceed to take a rag and a clear bottle of liquid out of his backpack.

"Crap." Rafe said, as he got out of his car.

"Sorry Detective, but I'm afraid we can't have you interfering." Someone behind Rafe said. Before he could react, the man hit Rafe in the back of the head and watched as the officer crumpled to the ground.

The mystery attacker then watched as a black van came upon the scene and collected the two young men and the unconscious Blair.

"This is BG3, come in BG1." The man said into his handheld radio.

"This is bad guy one, come in bad guy three." A female voice responded.

"Why aren't you using the codes? What if this line is being tapped?" BG3 whispered forcefully into his handheld.

"Because the codes are stupid, and no one will be listening to this frequency at this time of night. Now hurry up with the update." The female voice responded sounding more than a little annoyed.

"Operation 'kidnap Blair Sandburg' is a success. Operation 'Spring Cleaning' will commence in 10 minutes."

"Roger. Report back to home base and wait for the fun to start."

"Yes ma'am. Over and out." Under his breath the man commented, "Why did I agree to do this again?" then he answered himself. "Oh yeah, the pay was good."

The man got into Rafe's vehicle and quickly got into contact with the dispatcher. "We have an officer down in Rainier University parking lot, lot E, request back-up." As soon as he received confirmation, the man got out of the squad car, and into a red tracker taking off in a squeal of tire. Not without first leaving a letter for Detective James Ellison in Rafe's vehicle though.

**

* * *

**

"Ellison." Jim said as he answered his phone. He had just finished the next to last report and was just about to do the last one and head home.

"Hey Jim, listen. You need to come down to Rainier now." The voice was of Joel Taggert. "Rafe's been knocked unconsciousness and Blair's backpack, keys, books, everything, are all still in his car, here in the parking lot, but no Blair. We also found a letter addressed to you in Rafe's car."

"Already it doesn't look good. I'll be there in a few minutes." Jim hung up the phone, stood up, walked over to Simon's door, and proceeded to pound it as hard as he possibly could.

"What the heck are you doing Jim!?" Simon yelled as he yanked the door open.

"Rafe's unconscious, Blair's car and effects are abandoned, all at Rainier University." Jim said, then turned around, got his coat and walked out of the bullpen.

"What? Wait up, Jim!" Simon also grabbed his coat and followed Jim down to the parking garage. "Twice in one day, geez Sandburg you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."


	3. Chapter 3: Not a Normal Kidnapping

**Spring Cleaning in Wonderland**

**Chapter Three**

**Not a Normal Kidnapping**

"According to Rafe's story, these two collage guys came over and one started admiring Blair's Volvo. While Blair's back was turned the second guy brought out a rag and covered Blair's face with it. Blair slumped and as Rafe was getting out of his squad car someone hit him in the back of the head." Joel told Jim and Simon indicating over to Rafe who was holding a bag of ice to his head. "The paramedics said that he'll be okay though."

"You said I had a letter, where is it?" Jim said impatiently.

"Right here." Joel held out a white envelope, then snatched it back before Jim could open it. "Jim, remember this is police evidence." Jim nodded then carefully tore the seal open, removed the letter, and began to read.

"So what's it say, Jim?" Simon asked, seeing the look of annoyance on the detective's face. Jim gave Simon the letter so that he could read it. Simon started reading out loud. "Tweedle-dee, tweedle-dum. Search the city, have some fun. Look below, look in the air, but you'll never find, your friend Blair." Simon looked up from the note. "It's signed 'the Queen of Hearts." Jim took the note and started rereading it looking for clues.

"Now what?" Joel asked, looking up at Simon.

"This," Simon reached into the nearest squad car and pulled out the radio. "I want all units to be notified that we are now on BGM alert."

"BGM alert? What's that?" A voice asked over the radio.

In unison the three detectives answered. "Blair Gone Missing."

**

* * *

**"Uhh." Blair moaned as he woke up from his groggy forced sleep. "Where am I?" No one answered.

"Stupid question. Okay, first, what are your surroundings?" Blair asked himself, remembering the questions Jim had told him to ask if he was kidnapped. He's used them countless times already. "The ground I'm on is, soft and… bouncy?" Blair looked down and saw he was on a bed. A look around him showed he was in a bedroom room. Blair looked at his hands, nothing. No twine, rope, or duct tape even. This was definitely not a normal kidnapping.

"Ah...it seems you are awake, Mr. Sandburg." A female voice said from behind Blair. Blair turned around to see and grinned.

"Mayor Sanders. You know, you usually tie up your captive, not deposit him on a very comfortable bed."

"Pish posh, Mr. Sandburg. You are here as my guest, no matter what others might think." Sandra came into the room and sat down in a plush chair by the window facing Blair, who was still sitting on the bed.

"Did the police chief tell you the reason for all of this deception?" Sandra asked as she leaned back and crossed her legs.

"Not really, no. All he said was that I needed to play a part in a scheme for the mayor." Blair answered, dangling his legs off the side of the bed.

"In one week from now, a party of senators will be coming to Cascade for a meeting. Now I want to make a good impression and insure the senators safety. To do that, I need Cascade to be cleaned." Sandra stares at Blair. "Do you know how you get a major crimes division to step up and clean out the streets?"

Blair's eyes went wide at his sudden realization. "You kidnap me."

"Exactly, every time you go missing, major crimes arrests between ten and twenty criminals, and finds you within forty-eight hours." Sandra smiled. "But what if you were held in the one place they would never even consider looking, for a considerable amount of time?"

"Cascade would be virtually criminal free." Blair's eyes held a twinkle of mischief. "So what else can I do to help?"

"Nothing, except stay here of course." Sandra grinned and walked towards the door.

"And here is?" Blair could see a large yard out the window with no signs of Cascade itself anywhere.

"My personal residence," And Sandra left the room leaving Blair shaking his head.

**

* * *

**"Cascade PD, Freeze!" Jim yelled as he burst open the door to a cellar. The occupants of the room fled, but were quickly caught by the thirty or so officers surrounding the building. Jim did a quick sensory sweep, and sighed.

"Anything Jim?" Simon asked coming towards him.

"No, nothing." Jim looked around. "Isn't this the fifth drug lab today?"

"Yep." Simon sighed. "How did the streets get this bad?"

"Police negligence." Jim replied. "No matter how much we don't want to admit it, we were getting just lazy on our job." Jim leaned against a wall. "Anything on Sandburg?"

"No." Simon hung his head. "I don't think this will be another 12 hour find."

"Maybe not, our record low right now is 48 hours." Jim sighed again.

"Captain! We've found another letter for Ellison!" Henry yelled running towards the duo. Captain Banks snatched the letter first and carefully opened it.

"Blair oh Blair. Where art thou Blair? Are you in a tree? Or are you having tea? With a hatter or a rabbit? Search down below, or in the air. But you will never find your friend Blair." Jim read then crumpled the note in his hand. "They're mocking us!"

"Let me guess, 'Queen of Hearts.'" Simon asked, annoyance apparent in his voice.

"Yeah," Jim answered.

"So they're mocking us with an Alice in Wonderland theme." Henry sighed. "What next." Henry headed towards the door. "I'll see if there are any Wonderland cults around."

Jim followed Henry after handing Simon the note.

"Where are you going?" Simon called out at Jim's retreating back.

"To find Blair! The faster we find him, the faster we find this 'Queen of Hearts.'" Jim yelled behind him as he left the building.

**A/N: Sorry this was so late in coming. Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you.**


	4. Chapter 4: Battleship

**Spring Cleaning in Wonderland**

**Chapter Four**

**Battleship**

_Blair: So I got kidnapped, but this time, I agreed to it?_

_Takato: Yes._

_Jim: Geez Chief, way to give me a freakin' heart attack. Hey by the way, what's with the new name?_

_Takato: Well, I'm not thirteen anymore, and teen just didn't fit anymore. So I gave myself a new name. That's all really, now, can we continue the story?_

_Blair: Whatever, here's chapter four everyone._

* * *

"A5?"

"Nope."

"A7?"

"Nope."

"A9?"

"Hit."

"Yes!" The black haired man from the Rainier parking lot exclaimed. "Now let's see, the only ship you have left is your battleship!" The man placed a red pin in the A9 hole.

"Yeah, way to go. Considering I beat you two minutes ago." Blair ran his hand though his hair. "Hey Ryan, hand me a coke will you."

"Whatever. I just had to know where you hid your battleship man." Ryan tossed a soda at Blair, who caught it and leaned back in his seat on the couch.

"So how come I didn't recognize you in the parking lot? You'd thing everyone in Cascade, and the police force, would recognize the mayor's son." Blair popped the tab on his drink and took a long gulp.

"I make it my mission in life to avoid the media and the police. Also being in England for six years and only getting back a day ago helps a lot too." Ryan grinned.

"So what were you doing in England." Blair said grabbing a mini sandwich from a tray.

"Believe it or not I was doing research for my thesis paper to get my doctorate." Ryan answered turning his body so his legs hung over the side of the chair he was sitting in.

"Really? What's your subject." Blair leaned forward anxious to hear what Ryan had to say.

"It's on parallels in the democratic systems in Britain and her former colony: The United States of America." Ryan smiled. "Mom says your working on your doctorate as well, so then what's your subject?

Blair leaned back into the couch. "Closed societies in the context of a larger society as evidenced by the Cascade Police Force." Ryan's eyes went wide. "Something wrong?" Blair asked.

"No, just a broad subject to cover, especially in this town. A know a lot of people who act like cavemen."

Blair laughed. "That's what Jim thought when I told him."

"Jim. Jim Ellison?" Ryan asked. Blair nodded. "Isn't he the one that got stuck in Peru?"

"Yeah, for eighteen months." Blair looked up as the door opened. "Hey David."

"Hello boys. I thought you'd like an update on operation: Spring Cleaning." David annouced as he opened his notebook. Ryan and Blair both started laughing. "What's wrong?"

"Operation: Spring Cleaning? Who came up with that?" Ryan howled with laughter.

"It's not even spring! We're in the middle of fall man!" Ryan howled even louder at Blair's statement.

"Is something wrong, boys?" A feminine voice asked from the doorway.

"We're just trying to figure out who the idiot was that named the operation 'Spring Cleaning'?!" Ryan fell out of his seat.

"I was." Sandra stated as she came in from the doorway. Blair and Ryan sobered up in an instant. David moved to the side and grinned.

"I mean, what a lovely name, Mother." Ryan said standing up and smiling.

"So I'm not an idiot?" Sandra moved closer to her son.

"An idiot? No of course not. You're nothing like an idiot. Heck, I'm an idiot!" Ryan smiled even more and pointed to himself.

"You my son, are not an idiot." Sandra tapped Ryan's face with the palm of her hand and walked towards the door. "A little dumb, but not an idiot." With that Sandra left the room and headed down the hall.

A second after the last of Sandra's footsteps could be heard, David and Blair both broke out laughing.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up. Anyway, David you said you had an update." Ryan said sitting back down in the chair. Blair once again sat down on the couch and David sat next at the other end.

"Yes I do have an update." David opened his notebook once again. "So far the Cascade P.D. has busted up five drug labs, caught two of the FBI's most wanted, and has found three missing people." David closed his notebook. "Also two notes have been sent out."

"What notes?" Blair asked, eyes lighting up with curiosity.

"'Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-Dum. Search the city, have some fun. Look down below, look in the air, but you'll never find your friend Blair.' That's the first note. The one we just sent out reads, 'Blair, or Blair. Where art thou Blair. Are you in a tree? Or are you having tea? With a hatter or rabbit? Search down the below, or in the air. But you will never find your friend Blair.' That's the one that we sent with Nathan just a while ago." David returned the two pieces of paper to his notebook.

"Who's Nathan?" Blair asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"He's the other guy who kidnapped you." Ryan once again swung his legs over the side of the chair. "He's also my best friend. He's been at the Police Academy for a while, and he's just about done with the whole thing and getting ready to graduate. He's doing his ride-along now."

"Oh, who with?" Blair asked.

"Some guy named Rafe in major crimes." Ryan replied.

"He's doing his ride along with Rafe? When does he start?" Blair asked leaning in once again.

"He started today. That's how we could get the note to the P.D." David threw in.

"About those notes, what's with the Alice and Wonderland theme?" Blair reclined once again.

"My mom loves that story. When I was little, as a punishment, she would threaten to send me to the Queen of Hearts and have my head chopped off." Ryan said with nonchalantly.

Both David and Blair roared with laughter. "Really?" Blair asked wiping a tear from his eye.

"Really. Hey, David?" David stopped laughing and looked up at Ryan. "Do you want to play Battleship?"

* * *

_Ryan: I feel a little sorry for Jim and the others._

_Takato: Why?_

_Ryan: Because they're being tortured with Lewis Carroll._

_Blair: I just don't want to be around when Jim finally figures out what happened._

_Ryan: Seriously, I already fear for Nathan. Hey writer dude, what happens next huh?_

_Takato: You'll just have to wait and see. Next chapter will be up soon, don't forget to review!_


	5. Chapter 5: New Information

**Spring Cleaning in Wonderland**

**Chapter Five**

**New Information  
**

"Who's the kid Rafe?" Ellison asked the Australian as he walked into the bull pen.

"This is Nathan. He's my ride along." Rafe gestured for Nathan to sit in the high back chair next to his desk.

"Since when do you take on ride along's?" Simon asked coming into the office area.

"Since he's the only cadet from the academy who wants to join major crimes." Rafe chuckled at the look on Simon's face.

"What! Last time I checked the polls, major crimes was the number one position everyone wanted." Simon made a move to stand up.

"That was until you guys really started getting busy." Nathan said in a cool tone of voice. "After this department started getting more efficient, the other cadets got nervous." Nathan accepted the cup of coffee that Brown offered him. "Personally, having you guys so efficient means a whole lot more activity and that is what I'm after."

"So you're an adrenaline junkie, huh?" Rafe asked his charge.

"You could say that. Besides, now is the perfect time to do my ride along because you guys are seeing more action looking for Blair Sandburg." Nathan shrugged. "Unfortunately, you guys aren't having very much luck in that department."

"We've searched the whole city twice, and we still can't find a single clue about him!" Jim practically yelled.

"Maybe that's because you guys have become so efficient, that the criminals have had to develop better strategies?" Nathan took a drink of his coffee. "I mean, think about it, the perps out on the streets have had to adapt the way they do things so that they won't get caught, because you guys are getting better at finding them."

"Kids got a point. Just the usual roundup this morning took longer because we had to search for the perps; they've gone into hiding in places that we would never have thought to look before." Henry pointed out, adding to Nathan's theory.

"That's a good point except we've already searched everywhere." Simon said, sitting on the edge of Rhonda's desk.

"Have you tried personal residences?" Rhonda offered.

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"I mean, have you searched the politician's houses? Those are places that don't usually come under suspicion." Rhonda explained.

"That's a thought. But seriously, how many of those politician's are going to let the police search their homes?" Simon asked.

"Who knows, but it is part of a kidnapping case, I'm sure you could round up a couple of warrants, and possibly leak it to the press." Nathan smirked. "Media pressure is one of the fastest ways to get the politicians to comply."

"Are you sure you're going to be a cop, and not a psychologist?" Simon asked staring at Nathan.

"I admit that I took a couple of psychology classes in college, but ultimately, knowing how the criminal mind works could be beneficial if you're going to be a cop." Nathan looked at Simon.

"Good point." Simon stood up. "Rhonda, start calling secretaries of the politicians and see how many will comply with letting us search their homes. Brown, you and Rafe search the homes of those you give you consent. Jim, I want you to take Nathan and look around the surroundings of the premises that Brown and Rafe search. Right now Nathan is a close substitute for Blair. I'll start calling the judges and see how many search warrants I can get." Simon then walked into his office.

"This oughta be fun; I get to argue with people for the next three hours." Rhonda sighed and picked up her phone.

"Let's go ahead and start making our way to the residences, that way we can start immediately when Rhonda or Simon says so." Jim said then grabbed his coat and made his way out the door. Nathan, Rafe, and Brown followed close behind.

"Alright people, tell me what you found." Simon said as he gathered his group of officers in his office four hours after he'd sent them out.

"We didn't find Blair." Brown said.

"Well duh, seeing as Blair isn't seated here with you guys! Now tell me what you did find." Simon took out a cigar.

"We found that all of the home owners let us search the premises without a warrant. Except one." Rafe said.

"They really let you search the houses?" Rhonda asked.

"Yeah…once we told then who was missing, they obliged immediately." Brown answered. "Said they didn't want to get between Ellison and his partner."

Jim hung his head. "Who was the one who didn't let you search their home?"

"Believe it or not, it was the mayor." Rafe said.

"I couldn't even get a warrant to search her place." Simon said. "They all said that the mayor had immunity, unless we had evidence that she's involved.

"Anyway, another bit of interesting news is that her son, Ryan, is back in town after studying abroad in England." Rafe said holding a manila folder out to Simon. While Simon inspected the contents, Rafe continued. "The description and photo both match the person I saw looking at Blair's Volvo the night he was abducted."

"Yeah, his dad had a Volvo when Ryan was little. I think I remember Ryan telling me that he was going to listen to Blair's lecture that night." Nathan said.

"Do you know Ryan personally?" Simon asked, staring at the young man.

"He's my best friend. Our dads were on the same bowling team and our moms were on the PTA and knitting group together. With connections like that, we got to spend a lot of time together. I even got to spend some time with Ryan in England a couple of months back." Nathan shrugged. "I spoke to him on the phone last night, asked him if he wanted to get together sometime and catch up. That's when he said he was going to the lecture."

"Wow…..we might be able to use that connection." Simon said, and then answered his phone just as it went off. "Simon Banks."

A few moments later Simon but the phone back in its cradle and addressed the room at large. "That was Officer Michael down in gang patrol, he says that a new gang as started appearing in the streets."

"I don't doubt it." Rhonda said. "With how you guys cleaned up the streets, I bet it was pretty easy for them to move in."

Just after Rhonda finished speaking, a messenger from the head of police arrived breathless in Simon's office. "Mr. Banks, we've just received a call from the mayor saying a gang of thugs have managed to break into her house!" The members of major crimes were out the door and on their way before the messenger had even caught his breath.


	6. Chapter 6: Almost Had Them

**Spring Cleaning in Wonderland**

**Chapter Six**

**Almost Had Them**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Sentinel, or else Blair would always be getting in trouble and Jim would have a girlfriend, a good one.**

"Mayor Yields, are you alright?" Simon asked concernedly as he approached Sandra and David. The mayor and her assistant were standing in the front yard of the large house, looking over the wreckage that had been a porch and living room.

"Oh I'm fine, so is David. We just got a little scare that's all." Sandra announced. "But those hooligans took off with Ryan and Blair." The Cascade detectives froze at the mention of their youngest teammate.

"Excuse me?" Jim asked, not knowing whether he had heard the mayor wrong or not.

"Those thugs took off with my son and your anthropologist, and after all the careful planning I took to kidnap him from you." Sandra sighed dejectedly. "It really wasn't easy, what with you guys turning to threatening all the politicians in town."

"Wait a minute, are you saying you had Blair here the whole time." Simon demanded.

"Yes," Sandra looked at the detectives that had crowded around her. "He was actually a very willing participant in the whole scheme as well."

"I'm gonna kill him, I swear the next time I see him, I'm gonna kill him." Jim started murmuring under his breath as he walked away a little from the group. Simon rubbed his forehead while a headache made itself known.

"Why don't we continue this conversation back at the station?" The captain suggested and everyone agreed. Piling into the squad cars the ride back was silent, each lost in their own musings. Once there, Simon proceeded to hand out orders.

"Henry, I want you to start interrogating Mayor Yields and David. Rafe and Joel, start trying to find places, any places, where this new gang could be hiding out. I'm going to call down to gang control and see if I can find out more about this new gang." Simon ordered.

"If you're going to interrogate David and I, you may as well interrogate Nathan as well. He did help Ryan 'kidnap' Blair." Sandra pointed out as she gestured at the young ride-along. Rafe looked at Nathan.

"Is this true Nathan?" Rafe asked sternly.

"Unfortunately yes, but," Nathan interjected throwing up his hands at the murderous sent to him after his confession. "I did try to help you find him, remember? I suggested checking into the politician's houses."

"He's got a point sir, he did help." Jim reluctantly agreed, and Simon added Nathan to the interrogation group, punishment to come later. "Anyway, what do you want me to do?" The sentinel asked.

"I want you to go into an empty interrogation room, and meditate. Get some of those candles that Blair keeps in his desk. You need to calm down," Simon said, then whispered low enough so that only Jim could hear, "And quite possibly use that link you and Sandburg have to give us an idea as to where he is." Jim nodded.

"Yes sir." With that the team split up. Henry escorted his three into an empty interrogation room, while Rafe and Joel pulled out several maps of Cascade. Simon locked himself in his office, and Jim retired to another interrogation room, arms full of aroma candles.

Lighting the candles, Jim positioned himself on the floor, legs crossed, eyes closed. He emptied his mind, and only focused on his breathing, allowing the different scents to cloud his mind and senses. The next time the sentinel opened his eyes, the world was green. He was no longer in the empty interrogation, he was on the street. The street was empty, and devoid of life, save for him and a black panther.

Once the panther saw that he had Jim's attention, the animal ran off, obviously wanting Jim to follow. The two ran until they were well outside the city limits, and were at the doorstep of a huge mansion. A wall surrounded the mansion, while a wrought-iron gate kept Jim from proceeding any further. The panther cried, and a wolf's howl answered, coming from within the mansion. The area around Jim started to go fuzzy, and Jim was thrown back away from the vision. Before he completely lost the vision, he noticed a crest on the gates. An elaborate W surrounded by roses.

Jim's eyes snapped open and he smiled. Rising to his feet, he left the interrogation room. Opening the door to another room, he poked his head in and saw Henry in the middle of interrogations. "It worked, I know where they are." Was all Jim said before he came back to the Bullpen.

Joel and Rafe had hung up a huge map of Cascade on the wall, and lots of blue and red pins were placed all over.

"Wow, now what does it mean." Jim asked sitting on the edge of a desk. Henry and his crew came into the room as well.

"The blue pens signify small hideouts, and the red pens signify large hideouts. We covered all the bases because we don't know how large this new gang." Rafe explained pointing out the pens.

"This new gang may not be as new as everyone thinks." Simon announced coming out of his office. "Apparently this new gang is just a renegade group of Yellow Stingers." All the detectives groaned at this fact.

"Are these Yellow Stingers dangerous?" Sandra asked as even Nathan and David had groaned.

"Yes, the Yellow Stingers are one of the most organized gangs in the country. They're only a step below Mafia." Joel explained. "What makes them so dangerous is that they have brains and brawns. Their intelligence network can rival the FBI's at times, and thanks to some political connections they have a large weapons trade."

"If they're so dangerous, why hasn't the FBI taken care of them?" Nathan answered this question for the mayor.

"They operate so low below the radar that the FBI can't get any dirt on them. Their weapons trade is hidden behind an elaborate fake company that has permits to do trade. All of their actions are protected by the law."

"Exactly, and the FBI can't exactly take care of the gang if they haven't broken any laws. We've managed to catch one or two members here in Cascade, but the gang is so large that to make any sort of impact you have to take out someone in a position of power." Simon added. "This new gang that's causing us problems seems to be only a handful of renegades, but their leader is a former gang boss. If we can catch him, make him talk, we'll have a major impact on the whole gang."

"Oh, well if they're so smart and all, why did they take Ryan and Blair and not me?" Sandra asked. "I mean, I'm the mayor of Cascade."

"Yes you are, but Ryan is also you're son, and Blair is an important part of this crime unit. They must have known that they would get the best crime response by stealing those two then you." Jim observed. "These guys do do their homework."

"So now we have two missions. One) is to get back Ryan and Blair, and two) to capture the guys who kidnapped them." Joel summed up and everyone nodded.

"How are we supposed to complete those missions if we don't even know where they are?" Rafe asked pointing at the board.

"Jim, you said you knew where they were." Henry stated as he looked at the sentinel.

"I don't exactly know where they are, but while I was meditating I had a sort of vision. In it there was a mansion surrounded by a wall with a gate. On the gate there was a crest, a W with roses surrounding it. This place was well outside the city limits." Jim explained. "At least it's a clue." The mayor started to murmur the crest description to herself.

"Wonderland!" Sandra suddenly cried, catching the males in the room off guard.

"What? I don't think this is the time to be reverting back to Lewis Carroll." Jim growled as he rubbed his ears.

"No, I mean that mansion is called Wonderland. Listen, back in 1970 there was a woman named Madame Laurel who immigrated here from Britain. She was very wealthy, and once here she decided to build her own version of Wonderland, and proclaimed herself to be the Queen of Hearts. The story was that she had lost her husband to a murderer in England who would cut off people's heads and leave an ace of hearts behind. After that she went insane. Ten years after moving here, she was found in her home, dead. She had killed herself by rigging up a very crude guillotine." Sandra told the detectives, and then shrugged when she received weird looks. "What, I did a paper on her back in college."

"That doesn't matter, are you saying that this Madame Laurel's mansion is here in Cascade?" Simon asked, wondering why he had never heard of it before.

"It's close to Cascade anyway. The mansion is located about twenty miles outside the city limits, on the edge of a small lake she had built. I told you she was very wealthy." Sandra answered.

"Well, who owns the mansion now?" Joel asked, becoming engrossed into the tale of Madame Laurel.

"No one, in her will Madame Laurel said that she left everything she owned to the Wonderland and Alice. They could never find who Wonderland, or Alice, was, so they just left the mansion alone. There wasn't even any family left of Madame Laurel's, she was an only child, and so was her husband, and the two of them had never had any children."

"Wow, well, do you think that that's where Ryan and Blair are being kept?" Jim asked, and the mayor nodded.

"It's really the only place they could hide and no one would ever find them. But it's not a very safe place. According to the people who worked for Madame Laurel, the old lady had all sorts of traps and mazes installed, to fit her idea of Wonderland. They described it as working in a weird theme park that was just thrown together." Sandra added.

"Well then, I don't think being in SWAT would be a very good idea. The rescue team will have to be small, so as to negotiate the traps better." Simon stated. "The five us will mount a rescue operation tonight, using the cover of darkness."

"I'll be going with you." David stated, leaving no room for argument. "I'm sure you're aware of my background?" Simon nodded, and neither one of them elaborated.

"I want to come to. This will be the perfect field experience, and I'm still doing my ride-along until eight in the morning tomorrow." Nathan argued.

"Fine, but you'll stick with me; you're still not off the hook." Simon glared at the young boy. "Anymore questions?" No one said anything. "Good, then Joel and Henry will go down to the equipment locker and gather everything we'll need. Nathan you go with them. Jim and I will go down to the city hall and see if they have a copy of the blueprints to that house. Rafe, Mayor Yields, and David will stay here. You guys see if you find out anymore about this Madame Laurel, her mansion, and this new bunch of Stingers. Got that?" Everyone nodded, when Simon starts barking out orders, he doesn't leave room for any complaints. You either follow silently, or leave noiselessly. The Bullpen was soon a flurry of activity hurrying to make the 7 o'clock deadline.

* * *

**A/N: How do you like it? Funny story. I went to upload chapter six, only to discover that what I had saved was actually chapter seven. I had accidentally overwritten chapter six with chapter seven. So I had to re-write this chapter. As soon as I fix all the mistakes in chapter seven I'll have that chapter up as well. Thanks for reading so far!**


	7. Chapter 7: Wonderland

**Spring Cleaning**

**Chapter Seven **

**Wonderland**

"Blair, hey Blair, wake up." Ryan nudged Blair's unconscious form with his foot. Blair groaned and shook his head. He tried to move, but discovered that his hands were bound above his head, while he was left to sit on the floor.

"Don't tell me I really got kidnapped this time." Blair asked Ryan adopting a disbelieving face.

"Yeah, and I got dragged along for the ride." Ryan grumbled as he focused his attention at the chains binding his hands above his head. A moment later though, a click was heard and Ryan was free. Ryan grinned as he held out a paperclip. "Little trick I picked up when I was little and wanted to escape from time out in my room."

"Yeah well, that's one trick you have to teach me." Blair states as Ryan picked the lock on Blair's chains. "Do you know who our captors are?"

"Some group called the Yellow Stringers." Ryan leaned against a wall and rubbed his wrists. "I heard some of them talking as they walked by the door."

Blair hung his head. "The Stingers, we got caught by the Stingers. Can this day get any worse?"

"I'm going to assume that you know these guys." Ryan commented.

"Only by reputation and some police intel." Blair answered. "The Yellow Stingers are one of the most dangerous gangs in the country. They have gangs throughout the fifty states, and spies everywhere. As you can guess, their information network is extensive. They had a coup down in Oregon not to long ago that caused a fraction to split from the main gang."

"So the renegade fraction decided to come to Cascade Washington, what do you suppose they want?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know, and I really don't care." Blair got up from his spot on the floor. "All I want I out of here." The duo started to really take in their surroundings. The room was devoid of furniture, there were no windows to speak of, and a thick layer of dust covered the floor and walls. The two stopped after a couple of minutes and leaned against the wall. Footsteps were heard approaching the door, and a key was being inserted into the lock.

***

"We'll split into two teams of three." Simon told his team as they gathered in front of the gates of Wonderland. "Team one is Rafe, Joel, and David. Team Two will be made of Ellison, Nathan, and myself. We'll each take one floor and begin the search. Watch out for booby traps." Everyone nodded and the gates were quickly scaled.

Team one split up in a search of the grounds, while team two made their way towards the three-story mansion. The first thing they encountered was a flagstone path lined on both sides by rose bushes that seemed extra thorny.

Simon took lead, but was pulled back by Jim before he could step on a single stone. Jim silently picked up a rock and threw it on the same stone Simon was about to step on. The rock was thrown into the thorn bushes as the stone sprung up on springs.

"Cap, I do believe we just found our first booby trap." Jim stated with a grin.

"You think." Simon sent a glare towards Jim. "Alright, so how are we supposed to get across if the path is trapped?"

"We only step on certain stones." Jim answered as he knelt down to examine their path. "Blair and I ran across something similar to this before. Some of the stones will throw you into the bushes, while the others are stationary."

"Well then, how do we know which stone is which?" Nathan asked, kneeling next to the Ellison. "They all look-alike to me."

"Well they don't to me. Each stone has a different symbol etched into them, you just can't see them because the stones have weathered then away." Jim focused his sentinel sight on the stones. "It looks like there are clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts."

"Of course, card suits." Simon exclaimed. "Since Madame Laurel is the Queen of Hearts. We just have to step on the stones marked with the hearts."

Jim nodded in agreement. "I'll go first, the two of you can follow in my footsteps."

"Oh wow, a real role-model experience." Nathan teased with a grin. Jim ignored him, though Simon gave the boy a glare, and very carefully put his foot on the first stone marked with a heart. The stone stayed still. The three companions slowly made their way to the other side of the path.

As they reached the end of the path, the mansion loomed up above them, its presence almost overwhelming. A small plague on a black stand stood to the side.

"Good job making it through the roses." The plaque read. "As you go deeper into the house though, the traps will get even worse. Good luck, and welcome to Wonderland." Madame Laurel's signature was a scrawled at the bottom.

"Well, that's one way to welcome guests into your home." Nathan commented as he stared up at the mansion.

"Yeah, I only hope that the other guys are able to get through as well." Simon said as he looked back at the direction team one had taken.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, I hope so anyway." Jim told his captain reassuringly as they made their way up to the mansion.

***

"So…how are we supposed to get out of this maze?" Joel asked as he looked at their surroundings. The three members of team one had unknowingly walked into a marble maze. Ivy vines climbed the innumerable marble walls.

"Why don't we follow the rabbit?" David suggested as he pointed up at the ledge of the nearest wall. The other two looked where he was pointing. A white mechanical rabbit was standing stationary on the wall, but upon noticing that the newcomers had noticed it, it sped off down the wall, quickly turning the corner. The group ran off after the speedy rabbit.

"Hey David, remind why you're here again?" Rafe asked the Mayor's secretary.

"Simple, the mayor thought that my skills would be useful in securing the safe return of her son." David replied. "Before I became her secretary, I was in the C.I.A. I got injured on a mission was forced to retire early."

"So what did you do in the C.I.A.? Were you a field agent, or a home boy?" Joel asked, sneaking looks at the man beside him while trying to keep up with the white blue.

"Most of my work is classified, but I will tell you that my passport is full of foreign stamps." David grinned as the rabbit finally stopped.

The rabbit had lead them to a set of doors. One door had white roses painted on it, while the other had red roses. A plaque rested between the doors.

"'Please the queen'." Rafe read out loud. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, whatever it means, if has to deal with Alice in Wonderland." Joel answered, examining the doors with his eyes.

"That's it!" David exclaimed. "The Queen of Hearts was partial to red roses. When some of her subjects tried to paint white roses red, she cut off their heads, because they're color wasn't red to begin with."

"Red roses door it is then." Rafe opened the door and they walked into the courtyard of the mansion. Another plaque awaited them. It read, "Good job getting through the maze. It gets tougher from here on out, so good luck, and welcome to Wonderland." It was signed Madame Laurel.

"This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Rafe said as Joel and David nodded in agreement. The group continued down a random hall.

***

"Welcome gentlemen," A tall, black-haired man said as he stepped into the bare room. "I hope your accommodations aren't to dull."

"Oh no, not at all, the dust actually gives a sense of vintage." Ryan grinned. "Now, who are you?"

"My name is Brian." The now named Brian gave a mock bow. "You are Ryan Sanders and Blair Sandburg. See, no need to introduce yourselves."

"Great, now how do you know that?" Blair asked as he stood up.

"You underestimate our information ring Mr. Sandburg." Brian smiled. "Now, being the mayor's son and a police consultant, you must know the names of some big time drug lords around here, right?"

"Even if we did, we wouldn't tell you." Ryan snarled.

"Alright then, you're free to go." Brian stepped to the side and allowed the two prisoners to see an open hallway. "We'll just find our own contacts." The gang leader smiled and gestured for two of his men to lead their captives out of the room. The two men slowly started walking on their own.

Halfway down the narrow hall, they lost their escorts. They were still made to walk down the hall though. Two-thirds down the hall, Brian called out to them.

"One more thing, don't forget to tell your little police friends about the traps hidden in this mansion." Brian chided. "Oh, by the way, don't forget to read the sign."

"What sign?" Ryan asked, but was answered when Blair pointed up at the sign on the wall at the end of the hall. The two men finally made their way close enough to the sign as to read it.

A white rabbit was depicted on the sign, a white rabbit disappearing down his rabbit hold. A blond girl in a blue dress wasn't to far behind him. Words were printed below the picture, they read, "Be like Alice and follow the rabbit down his hole." The floor suddenly disappeared beneath them and they tumbled down into the darkness.

Both of them the boys landed on separate cushions, and the force of their landing send the cushions in motion. They started a rapid ride down a sleek metal slide. As they picked up speed, they went into a steep incline that abruptly turned on sharp edges every few feet. Blair and Ryan were immensely relieved when they coasted to a stop.

This new room was much like the first room they had been imprisoned, save for two doors on the opposite wall. Above each door was a sign. One read 'Hatter's Choice' the other read 'Hare's Choice'.

"Great, so now what? Do we choose a random door and hope for the best?" Ryan asked as he got to his feet.

"Yeah, I thing so anyway. We either follow the Mad Hatter, or his sidekick the crazy hare." The duo moved closer to the doors. "So, which one do you want?"

"Neither, both of them are nuts. Don't you remember their tea party?" Ryan asked. "They kept switching seats and having un-birthdays."

"You're right, but we have to choose. I say we go with the Mad Hatter, just because he's my favorite." Blair suggested. Ryan only shrugged as a way of an answer. Ryan grabbed the handle on the Mad Hatter door.

"It's locked." Ryan announced, then tried the other door as well without any luck. "Great, they're both locked, now what?"

"Do you have a bobby pin?" Blair asked running a hand through his hair.

"No, but I've got a thirst." Ryan grinned and walked across the room. Nestled in a the corner was a small table with a milk bottle on it. The bottle was empty, but a note hanging on the bottle said 'drink me'. Ryan reached for the bottle, but Blair stopped him.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Blair asked still holding Ryan's arm.

"Well, we really don't have any other choice, do we?" Ryan asked, and Blair let go of his arm. Ryan grasped the bottle and pulled it up. A string attached to the bottle came as well, opening the hare door in the process. "Yes!"

Ryan let the bottle go where it recoiled back to its original position, closing the door. "No," Ryan grumbled.

"Neat trick, the bottle is the key. You pull it, the door opens, let it go, and the door closes." Blair observed.

"Thanks Professor, now how are we supposed to get out, you saw how fast that door closed, there doesn't seem to be any way that both of us can get out of here." Ryan pointed out.

"Maybe if one of us holds the door open, both of us can get out." Blair suggested and walked over to the door. Ryan pulled the bottle up again, and the door opened. Blair braced himself against the door and nodded to Ryan. Ryan let go of the bottle, and the door started to close again, with force enough to throw Blair a couple of feet.

"Man, that thing weighs a ton, but snaps back into place like a soldier." Blair complained, picking himself off the floor. Ryan came over to help, then went back to examine the door. Ryan walked backwards, still examining the door, but ended up tripping over his shoelaces. He reached for the handle of the Mad Hatter door. The knob turned and the door opened, but not stopping Ryan from falling on his butt.

"What just happened, I know that door was locked because I checked it myself." Ryan stated as Blair helped him up.

"Maybe the bottle not only opened the Hare door, but also unlocked the Mad Hatter door." Blair thought out loud, staring at the doors, then back at the bottle.

"And we were so busy trying to escape through the open door, that we never even considered the Mad Hatter door." Ryan rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I swear, this place is like a badly designed theme park."

"I don't know about that, I happen to be having a lot of fun." Blair contradicted as he walked through the open door. Ryan only sighed and followed.

The duo entered a room that had a single door on their right, a door with an exit sign above it. The wall directly in front of the Blair and Ryan was adorned with a portrait. The portrait was of a girl about nine years old. She had long blond hair that flowed past her shoulders. She wore a blue dress, covered with a white apron. She sat at the base of an oak tree, a copy of Alice in Wonderland. The plague below the portrait gave her a name.

"Alice Hempstead, the only who ever believed in Wonderland with as much passion as me." The plaque was signed Madame Laurel.

"Ryan, I think we just found out who Alice is." Blair stated as he examined the portrait. Ryan nodded and they both committed the name to memory.

* * *

**A/N: Finally, we find out who Alice is, and see the surprises in store for our favorite detectives. Now I need your help. Please tell me what kind of trouble our heroes need to get into to. Use your imagination.**

**Blair: I'm a little scared now.**

**Takato: With good reason.**

**Jim: We put our fates in your capable hands dear readers. Don't make us regret it, please.**

**Takato: Till next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: The End

**Spring Cleaning in Wonderland / Chapter Eight / The End**

_Blair: The End? Does that mean this is the last chapter?_

_Takato: Yep, and it's very long in coming._

_Jim: You can say that again. All I have to say is about time._

_Takato: Thanks Jim. Alright here it is, the last chapter in this thrilling adventure. As always, I don't own the Sentinel characters._

_Blair: We'd be screwed if he did. *hit on the head by Takato.* Ow!_

_Takato: Happy reading!_

* * *

"Simon, I think we're lost." Nathan pointed out to the African-American as they tried to navigate their way out of a mirrored maze.

"We're not lost, we just have to keep our hands on the walls. That's the trick to these things." Simon answered tersely.

"We've been keeping our hands on the walls for ten minutes." Nathan pointed out. "I think we're just downright lost." Simon opened his mouth to respond, but Jim stopped him.

"I hear someone, maybe two someone's." Jim cocked his head trying to listen. He could hear the words, but the maze distorted the voices.

"We should have made a left back at that last fork." One voice grumbled.

"No, we're supposed to follow the red paint. So we're following the red paint." The other voice responded. The voices got closer and now both Nathan and Simon could here them as well.

"Step back, we'll jump them on three." Simon mouthed, earning a nod from both subordinates. Simon counted to three on his fingers. On three the men tackled the two voices as they rounded the corner.

"Hey, what the hell!" A familiar voice cried out from under Jim's grip. Jim blinked and turned his hostage over so he could see his face.

"Blair!" Jim cried, seeing his friend's face. "How did you escape?"

"Those thugs threw us down a rabbit hole after they learned we weren't going to cooperate." Blair explained.

"They obviously meant to imprison us again. Of course it wasn't nothing we couldn't figure a way out of." Ryan added, then glared at his friend who was still kneeling on his back. "Do you mind letting me up?"

"Oh sorry," Nathan got off his friend and helped him to his feet. "Was there anything exciting down the rabbit hole?" Nathan asked with a grin, trying not to laugh about the 'rabbit hole'.

"Actually, yeah. We found a painting of a girl dressed up like Alice, from the story." Ryan said.

"The plaque said that her name is Alice Hempstead. Apparently she shared Madame Laurel's dream of fantasy." Blair added. "I think she's the one who Laurel mentioned in her will."

"You're probably right. Now though we need to work on getting out of here." Simon instructed. "Do you know how to get out of here?"

"We saw a sign when we entered the maze. It said 'follow the red paint, to find out who painted all the roses red'." Blair explained. "We've been following the trail, but we lost it."

"Why don't we go to the last place you saw the red paint and see what we can find." Jim suggested.

"Good idea," The group back tracked and soon found themselves staring at a red blob of paint on the floor.

"See anything?" Ryan asked, staring at the cops around him. "Any clues?"

"Nothing." Jim knelt down and ran his hand over the paint. "How often were these appearing?"

"Every four feet or so. They were pretty close together." Blair said as he knelt next to his partner. "Are you picking anything up?"

"Yeah, there's a raised circle in the middle here." Jim traced the outline. "It feels like a button."

"Then go ahead and push it." Simon told his subordinate. Jim nodded and pushed the button. It was a big mistake.

The floor retracted down at an angle, sending the five males down a spiral slide with high walls and a steep descent. The ride ended in them being deposited in a padded room. As soon as Nathan was in a metallic door slid closed and the room started moving.

"It's an elevator." Blair stated, as he leaned against the wall, grinning like an idiot.

"And that was another Wonderland trap." Ryan grumbled. "I'm really getting tired of these fun house traps."

"You and me both." Simon stated as they stood up. The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. A plaque was there waiting for them.

"Thank you for visiting Wonderland. I hope your trip was fun and memorable. See you again. Madame Laurel." Jim leaned against the wall outside of the elevator.

"This was definitely memorable, but somehow I don't think I'll be coming back." Jim said as he leaned against the wall outside the elevator. Everyone nodded their agreement to that statement. Just then Rafe, David, and Taggert appeared and ran towards the group.

"You found them." Rafe cried as he came up to Simon.

"Of course we did, now we just need to catch those creeps." Jim said, causing Joel to grin.

"Actually, they're being loaded into the SWAT van as we speak." The newly found group's eyebrows went up in surprise. "SWAT showed up a few minutes ago and started combing the building. Those creeps took off running, right into a trap that deposited them at SWAT's feet." Joel was almost laughing at this point.

"Great, so now that everyone is all rounded up, can we please get the heck out of Wonderland?" Ryan asked. "I'd really just like to get home."

"That sounds like an awesome idea." Simon agreed, as did everyone else.

* * *

"Baby, I'm so glad you're home safe." Mayor Yields exclaimed as she hugged her son, in a vice-like grip so hard that her son was having a hard time breathing.

"Ma'am, I think you're suffocating him." David told his employer gently. The mother gasped and let go of her son.

"Thank you David." Ryan gasped and Nathan chuckled. "Do you think this is funny?" Ryan asked his friend.

"Actually I find it hilarious." Nathan admitted.

"Perhaps I can should you a hug too, Nathan." Sandra asked, and Nathan started backing up. Simon cleared his throat, catching their attention.

"If you don't mind, I personally can't wait to hear the whole story of this little adventure." Simon said as he stood in front of the group. The rest of the Bullpen detectives situated themselves around the group, with Jim pushing Blair in with the rest of the guilty.

"The whole story? Man, where do we start?" Sandra said as she settled herself in a nearby chair. "What is there to tell. I wanted the streets clean before the Senator's got here, so I asked Blair to help me get your guys' butts in gear."

"So Blair was a willing participant in all this?" Jim asked, eyeing his partner.

"Of course, in fact he had a lot of fun helping us plan this little scheme." Sandra's eyes started to gleam.

"You planned it?" Joel's eyes nearly bugged out as he stared at his friend.

"Only the kidnaping in Rainier's parking lot. The Yellow Jackets were an addition we hadn't counted on." Blair confessed. "I do have to wonder though, how did they know about Wonderland, and you didn't?"

"Yeah, and how come you guys didn't have some sort of floor plan for that place? Aren't people supposed to submit their plans to the planning office?" Nathan asked. "I thought it was procedure to ask for those before any mission?"

"It is, but we couldn't find it. The planning office didn't have them, someone had checked them out." Jim explained. "Rhonda's said she'd do a little digging."

"And digging I have done." Rhonda said triumphantly coming into the Bullpen, manilla folders held proudly in her hand.

"What have you found?" Simon asked, and Rhonda opened one of the folders.

"Alice Hempstead lives in London, England. She's a grandmother of three, mother of two. She first met Madame Laurel in 1970 when she was ten years old. They were both lovers of Wonderland, and when Madame Laurel died in 1980, she left Wonderland to Alice.

"Alice continued living in London, but left Wonderland untouched. Three weeks ago she got a call from someone wishing to rent out the mansion. Alice really didn't care, so she agreed, not asking any questions." Rhonda explained.

"Those mysterious renters were our renegade Stingers, right?" Joel asked.

"That's right." Rhonda opened another folder. "Now onto the mystery of the missing floor plans. They were checked out to a certain curly-haired anthropologist, three weeks ago. They're overdue." All gazes turned to Blair.

"Crap, that's right. I checked them out for my 'Study of the use of Architectural Design in a Subculture Context' class." Blair admitted, smacking himself in the head. Half the Bullpen sighed.

"So let me get this straight." Joel said, holding up a hand. "The Mayor wanted the streets clean, so she calls Blair and sets up an elaborate kidnaping scheme, complete with bringing in her wayward son and police recruit friend. Then, Blair and Ryan get kidnaped by another group, this time completely out of their control. On top of that, Blair has the plans we could have used to make his rescue easier, he just forgot about them."

"I do believe that that just about sums it up." Sandra said cheerfully. "This turned out to be a whole lot more fun than I had originally thought."

"What's going to be fun is having to explain to the press exactly why I had to arrest our beloved mayor." Simon grunted, already a migraine forming.

"Actually, you can't arrest her, or any of us actually." David said, opening his black binder and bringing out a piece of paper handing it to Captain. "We had written permission from the police chief for this little scheme." David took out more leafs of papers and started flipping through them. "We also have signed liability papers from all parties, and an agreement for a complete media blackout on this entire fiasco."

"We can get you on battery on a police officer though." Jim pointed out. "You knocked Rafe out."

"Actually, you can't get them on battery charges." Rafe admitted. "I was in on it too." Silence followed, punctuated only by stifled laughter from Blair, Ryan, Nathan, Sandra, and David.

"You were in on it?" Simon asked, disbelief all over his face.

"Yeah, they needed someone to take Nathan on his ride-along, make sure you get the notes, and keep them informed of our progress. I also signed the liability agreement, so them knocking me out wasn't exactly battery." Simon hung his head and stood up.

"I give up, I really and truly do give up." Simon threw his hands in the air and went into his office. Jim grinned and looked over at the mayor.

"When exactly are those senators coming in?" Jm asked.

"Their plane should be landing in a couple of hours. David and I will be there to welcome them." Sandra grinned. "Do you want to come?"

"No thanks, I think I'm going to clock out, and go grab a beer. Any takers?" Jim asked the room at large.

"I've been kidnaped twice, got stuck in a crazy mansion, and had to come clean to Simon, I definitely need a beer." Blair sighed.

"Count us in." Nathan said pointing at him and Ryan. Joel and Rafe nodded their agreement.

"Rhonda?" Jim asked, looking at the secretary.

"No thanks, I'll stay and see if I can help Simon write up his report over all of this." Rhonda told the detective.

"We'll bring you back a cold one." Rhonda nodded her thanks and headed off to the lion's den.

"That's a brave woman right there." Rafe stated and everyone agreed. As the group headed out the doors, the mayor asked one last question.

"Anybody want to watch Alice in Wonderland at my house this weekend? To commemorate this experience?" Everyone groaned at the suggestion.

"Sandra, I think everyone is a little tired of Alice and Wonderland." David informed her calmly. "In fact, I doubt any of them want anything to do with the subject for a good long while."

"Amen to that," Joel cried and everyone laughed, crowding into the elevator, ready to leave Wonderland behind them.

* * *

**A/N: Comments, complaints, concerns? Please tell me! I need to know! I'm so scared that I screwed up this story somewhere, please reassure me!**


End file.
